Ginger Martin's Blog

I readily admit I am somewhat of a germaphobe. I understand that a healthy dose of unhealthy germs is necessary to built up our immunity but there are some illnesses that I absolutely refuse to let come in contact with my body. Those germs are the ones that cause any type of gastrointestinal distress such a norovirus or rotavirus i.e. the stomach flu.

Some people can take nausea and vomiting much, much better than I can. I cannot stand that feeling. It brings me to tears. I would rather have someone rip out my fingernails than endure the feeling of nausea. So … when a co-worker came to work carrying a bucket around with her because she was so ill, you better believe I broke out the Clorox wipes, Lysol and my endless supply of hand sanitizer. Every surface was either thoroughly scrubbed or sprayed, sometimes both. And I found myself applying hand sanitizer after I touched the scrubbed and sprayed surfaces just for extra insurance. In fact, I have gone through an entire bottle of hand sanitizer in less than a week.

I know you might think I’m a freak, but I don’t care. When it comes to the stomach flu, I will do everything in my power to eradicate it before it has the opportunity to touch me. Since I can’t walk around in a hazmat suit, hand sanitizer is the next best thing. Yes, I know hand washing is the best way to get rid of germs but when soap and water aren’t available my little bottle of alcohol for my hands does the trick. I’m so addicted to it that I should probably just carry it around in a flask in my purse.